IT projects will be 'Vizaged' soon

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam has all the ingredients to emerge as the next IT hub of India if the local technology base is tapped suitably with upskilling initiatives along with a greater interface with the startup ecosystem.

Delegates drawn from the entire technology ecosystem attending the 'BizzBuzz Business Conclave' in the city opined that the port city already has the necessary ecosystem in place and the current task is to accelerate investment opportunities further in the IT & ITeS space through promoting entrepreneurship and working on innovative and critical technical areas.

The two-day 'BizzBuzz Business Conclave'organised by The Hans Group and Bizz Buzz kick started here on Friday with a theme of 'Visakhapatnam, the City of Destiny.'

The session on IT had a theme of 'Vizag- a port for emerging tech'.

"In Silicon Valley, when any project is outsourced, it is called the project has been Bangalored. Soon, there will be a moment, when people will say the project is Viazaged," Krishna Sagar Rao, Organisational Strategist said addressing the session.

"Andhra Pradesh provides the highest number of technology workforce to Indian IT sector and there are many good human resources from Visakhapatnam who are working outside the city. We have to retain those talent for making the city a hub for IT services," Rao added.

Visakhapatnam has already attracted a huge amount of investment from many technology giants of India with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tech Mahindra, Wipro, and Cyient among others. Vizag is also home to many prestigious educational institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy, Indian Maritime University, National Institute of Oceanography, and many more. "Vizag has been positioned as the IT city of Andhra Pradesh. To support the growth of the sector, we are committed to skill development programmes among engineers. If the private sector comes up with the technology areas in which they want to skill talent, we are ready to provide all kind of support," Nanda Kishore Reddy, Group CEO, APEITA (Andhra Pradesh Electronics and Information Technology Agency).

The city also has one of the oldest STPI (Software Technology Park of India) centre in India. Through STPI, Andhra Pradesh is promoting various incubation centres in the state including in the city.